Integrative Health Blog

Neurofeedback has been shown to be a valuable tool for school performance. This biofeedback technique helps a client to learn focusing skills, which are critical to learning and memory. Neurofeedback can balance brain wave activity and improve overall mental flexibility and performance. It often reduces anxiety, which can lead to better behavior, and may improve emotional control, thus enhancing social skills.

What I mean is this: a child’s diet is a critical piece in the treatment of ADHD. However, the right diet doesn’t treat just ADHD symptoms, but it makes the brain work better in general. So, an ADHD diet is what I prefer to call a brain healthy diet.

What happens in ADHD?

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) are brain disorder diagnoses usually made by a pediatrician or psychologist. It is characterized by inability to concentrate, restlessness, and impulsiveness, but may be difficult to diagnose. It is often first reported by teachers or parents. There is no single cause of ADHD. Rather, scientific research suggests the effects of many underlying causes, which taken together are expressed through each individual's genetic make up as a group of symptoms qualifying for a diagnosis of ADHD.

It is not uncommon for parents to struggle with the diagnosis of ADHD/ADD, because living with ADD is a family issue; the child’s behaviors may affect parents as well as siblings. Children with this diagnosis may experience obstacles for academic performance and adequate social interaction, and the development of mood disorders is also prevalent. Parents that decide to avoid having their children treated with stimulant medication now have access to an innovative intervention with the highest level of evidence-based support, according to the company that maintains the American Academy of Pediatrics’ ranking of research. (1)

ADHD Symptoms and Brain Function

ADHD is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder, reaching up to 11% incidence in U.S. school age children. It is characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity, as well as a reward-motivation deficit. Regardless of the etiology, ADHD symptoms lead to impaired functioning and often are associated with other problems such as learning disorders, poor academic performance and conduct disorders. For those diagnosed with ADHD, some (30%) may simply ‘‘outgrow’’ it as the symptoms of hyperactivity decrease in late adolescence. However, between 30 and 70% of children will have symptoms that persist into adulthood. The symptoms associated with this disorder lie more broadly in the issue of how the brain organizes its attentional and regulatory areas. In the person with ADD, we observe “disregulation” in brain function, particularly in those areas that monitor and regulate attention and impulse control.